Here's a story that has an eerie, time-travel feeling to it. Maybe the SyFy channel would be interested.A runner wins a cross-country race in his hometown, finishing 31 seconds ahead of the next runner. It's an annual race, but he doesn't return the next year, or the next. The years roll by. Then, after a six-year absence, he returns to the race and wins again, by the same 31 second margin. His time is even the same both years. Is he caught in a time loop? Are we caught in a time loop?
The runner was Sean Kent and the race was the Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Race in Dothan, Alabama during 2011 and 2017. Admittedly, Kent didn't log exactly the same winning times both years; he ran 18:50 in 2011 and 18:49 in 2017. Or maybe his performances actually were the same, and the one-second difference is a timing error.
Uncanny.
Sean Kent did win the 17th annual Brian Dowling 5K in Westgate Park on Saturday morning, 3 June 2017, though. And although he was a junior on the Northview High cross-country team when he ran the race in 2011, in 2017 Kent's win came just three weeks after he ran his last race for Troy University, a 10:28.89 in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the Sun Belt Conference Championships. There was no loop; time marches on.
Jason Teitloff was second in the Dowling 5K, running 19:20. Will Scott, a rising-sophomore on the Headland High cross-country team, placed third in 21:21. Dale Thomas was the first master runner, placing fourth overall in 21:37. Thomas was also in that 2011 race.
Charlotte Haberstroh was the first woman in the race, placing tenth overall in 26:43. Kristi Holland was the top woman master and second female finisher, thirteenth overall in 27:29. Master runner Carol Goguen placed third in the women's standings and 22nd overall in 32:11.
41 athletes finished the 2017 Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Race. The event has been presented annually by the Dothan Runners Club since 2001.
Top Ten Men, 2017 Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Race
- 18:49, Sean Kent (M, 21)
- 19:20, Jason Teitloff (M, 35)
- 21:21, Will Scott (M, 14)
- 21:37, Dale Thomas (M, 53)
- 22:01, Trevor Shaw (M, 15)
- 23:16, Charles Uptain (M, 40)
- 24:33, Patrick Childers (M, 43)
- 24:51, Bruce Hall (M, 49)
- 26:14, Greg Wellman (M, 30)
- 26:43, Phillip Dixon (M, 35)
Top Ten Women, 2017 Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Race
- 26:43, Charlotte Haberstroh (F, 27)
- 27:29, Kristi Holland (F, 40)
- 32:11, Carol Goguen (F, 55)
- 33:07, Sutherlin Williams (F, 13)
- 34:09, Susan Anderson (F, 54)
- 36:09, Stephanie Jetton (F, 29)
- 36:20, Rene Jordan (F, 52)
- 37:28, Julia Moss (F, 32)
- 41:21, Jennifer Lewis (F, 47)
- 41:23, Laney Gresco (F, 12)
| Past winners of the Brian Dowling Memorial 5K, 2001 - 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Men | Women |
| 7 April 2001 | 20:05, Jerry Armstrong | 24:08, Piper Stockman |
| 13 April 2002 | 19:12, Jonathan Braun | 21:57, Piper Stockman |
| 12 April 2003 | 18:58, Shane Gingrich | 24:04, Chris Fox |
| 1 May 2004 | 18:59, Douglas Holt | 24:19, Amy Padgett |
| 7 May 2005 | 19:12, Brian Hickey | 22:21, Teresa Lafleur |
| 6 May 2006 | 18:39, Matt Fechan | 23:24, Lou Ellen Jayroe |
| 28 April 2007 | 18:13, Gabe Mitchell | 23:08, In-Mi Matsunaga |
| 17 May 2008 | 18:44, Zalin Smith | 23:20, Lou Ellen Jayroe |
| 25 April 2009 | 19:08, Nick Vance | 26:06, Kristina Bennett |
| 22 May 2010 | 19:10, Theron Carter | 24:35, Amber Hodor |
| 23 April 2011 | 18:50, Sean Kent | 20:46, Megan Howell |
| 7 April 2012 | 20:05, Jeff Dasinger | 24:40, Abby Rogers |
| 18 May 2013 | 21:00, Justin Cagle | 24:21, Carolyn Houston |
| 10 May 2014 | 20:32, Dale Thomas | 24:45, CJ Parrish |
| 16 May 2015 | 18:26, Myles Gibson | 24:25, CJ Parish |
| 21 May 2016 | 21:17, Michael Warner | 23:12, Natalie Warner |
| 3 June 2017 | 18:49, Sean Kent | 26:43, Charlotte Haberstroh |
| In 2000 Dothan Runners Club member Brian Dowling was killed during a training run, struck by a hit-and-run driver. The Woofstock 5K was started in his memory in 2001. In 2002 DRC officially renamed the race the Brian Dowling Memorial 5K. Kudos and a big thank you to Larry Dykes for much of the information in this table! | ||
Links
- Complete results of the 2017 Brian Dowling Memorial 5K Trail Race
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Ni8HdgM8U52ZjGyecHOOg25igEzDiL088KjQ829uXos/pubhtml
- 2015 story, “Gibson and Parrish keep on winning at the Brian Dowling 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/05/dowling-2015.html
- 2014 story, “Thomas and Parrish triumph on the trail at Brian Dowling 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/05/dowling-2014.html
- 2013 story, “Cagle and Houston add Brian Dowling 5K wins to their running resumés”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/05/dowling-2013.html
- 2011 story, “Kent and Howell hit the trail at Brian Dowling 5K”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/04/dowling-2011.html
- Find upcoming trail runs in Dothan and other cities in the region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar:
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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